Category Archives: Integrator News

Building auditoriums for the Arts is a tradition from the Greeks. Projection has since been added.

Dolby Subtly Sings Seattle

The new Vimeo presentation, The Transformation of Seattle’s Cinerama Theatre, is 5 minutes of Chapter Headings for an unwritten series. It serves to highlight several points of technology, each that could/should be described in 30 minutes or more.

The coming CinemaCon will be one that exposes loudly some of the technology areas that were allowed to stay “under-served” in the past. Alluded to in the video is how much better a picture is when it is properly exposed and how much better audio is when not so subtle points are accommodated for.

How to extol the many virtues of doing things right without pointing out how horrid some decisions have been in the past– and not smearing anyone who didn’t have access to unavailable choices – will be interesting. It may make this one of the great CinemaCons for the technology crowd.

Hat tip to Mel Lambert for pointing out the piece.

Dolby Subtly Sings Seattle

The new Vimeo presentation, The Transformation of Seattle’s Cinerama Theatre, is 5 minutes of Chapter Headings for an unwritten series. It serves to highlight several points of technology, each that could/should be described in 30 minutes or more.

The coming CinemaCon will be one that exposes loudly some of the technology areas that were allowed to stay “under-served” in the past. Alluded to in the video is how much better a picture is when it is properly exposed and how much better audio is when not so subtle points are accommodated for.

How to extol the many virtues of doing things right without pointing out how horrid some decisions have been in the past– and not smearing anyone who didn’t have access to unavailable choices – will be interesting. It may make this one of the great CinemaCons for the technology crowd.

Hat tip to Mel Lambert for pointing out the piece.

Post-Installation Cinema Test Tools; USL LSS-100 and DTT Digital eXperience Guardian

The unit plugs into the cinema facility’s IP network so these readings can be taken by anyone with access through the firewall.

The unit is small and unobtrusive, with only the power and ethernet cables going through the wall, connecting the system into the booth and then to the IP network.

This is how the setup page looks, and following that is a shot of the unit itself and a version of the report it creates.

USL LSS-100 Setup Sheet


 

USL LSS-100 Network A/V Monitoring Device


 

USL LSS-100 Report Page


Another network device is the DXG – Digital eXperiance Guardian from Digital Test Tools, LLC. This new company is filled with industry veterans and this is their first product in this collaboration.

The DXG setup is more complex since both its microphone section and its colorimeter remote suspend from the ceiling. In one sense it is easier, since it uses Power Over Ethernet, which puts power, control and data on one ethernet cable.

The design uses 5 microphones to discern levels at many frequencies, as well as phase and the direction of THD problems. Pulsed sounds at various frequencies avoids the buildup problems that pink noise creates. With all this, if a new rattle or hum occurs, a technician can be sent by the NOC to look for something in a particular direction that reacts to a particular frequency, decreasing the time to find whatever got loose or was inserted into or taken from the audio system.

Like the USL system, the DXG’s value comes from giving the user “changes from a baseline” measurements. Both systems would be used after a picture and audio room tuning to establish that baseline. Since the DXG captures much more data (levels and THD at different frequecies from individual speakers, and phase information from pairs of speakers at multiple frequencies, for example) the output is put into an xml file and an SQL database so that reports can be generated. These standard tools allow the client to easily integrate the data and reports into their monitoring systems.

There is also a parameters list which the customer sets up to monitor “warning” and “critical” points that can trigger notification through Web 2.0 interfaces. And, critically, the system uses ‘percentage of variation from the baseline’ since it is easier to keep track of trends this way instead of using baseline numbers that might vary from room to room. Knowing that the data point has gone beyond a 5% threshold, for example, is easier to notice than figuring whether the new x,y matrix numbers are within MacAdam’s Just Noticable Difference oval.

In addition to the “variation from the baseline” concept the DXG colorimeter also includes a pull-down in the auditorium set-up page to mark date and serial number changes of bulbs, both for 2D==>3D changes and for EOL changes. Plus, instead of one 2 degree spot – the SMPTE/ISO spec for calibration – the DXG colorimeter measures a broad section of the screen.

The system includes audio and picture DCPs that run through the projection system. The test system and projection system run asynchronously, meaning that there is no connection or feedback to or from the system under test. A playlist is created with automation instructions to shut down the lights, put the masking in the proper position, put the sound processor at the proper level, make a warning annoucement in the room, then play the DCPs in the proper sequence. Since audio contamination from adjoining rooms would throw off the audio tests, care must be taken when setting up the daily or weekly process.

The DigitalTestTools literature states that there is plenty of space for growth with the DXG, with options for forensic marking tests and IP network tests coming in the near future, as well as an option to test the signals from the various equipment that broadcasts data and sound to personal closed caption and enhanced listening systems for the deaf, blind, hard of hearing and partially sighted patrons.

Following are some screen shots from the Digital eXperiance Guardian. There is a features movie at Digital eXperiance Guardian Movie.

Now that over 80% of North American screens have made the digital conversion with the EU and UK not far behind, it is great to see that the industry has matured to deal with this last lingering problem of screens drifting out of spec. Consumers complain about it, exhibitors have paid enormous sums to get equipment that can be impeccably tuned. Now there are two methods to montor the actual room.

Finally, it should be pointed out and noticed that your author/editor, Charles ‘C J’ Flynn of dcinematools.com is also Charles ‘C J’ Flynn, a founding partner of digitaltesttools.com – he is also a long term admirer of USL and the excellent equipment that they produce. So while this article is somewhat an infomercial, it is written as a scientist and disseminator of valuable information…and presuming that it is just a launching point for further research. C J Flynn has also been a long time advocate of Post-Installation Cinema Compliance, writing and presenting at IBC on the topic as far back as 2006 (after retiring from the labors of setting up cinema servers and training their users since before Star Wars II.


Digital eXperience Guardian – the DXG Multiroom Network Setup


 

Digital eXperience Guardian – The DXG Rear Panel showing Power Over Ethernet Interface


DXG Report – One Speaker – With Errors

Post-Installation Cinema Test Tools; USL LSS-100 and DTT Digital eXperience Guardian

The unit plugs into the cinema facility’s IP network so these readings can be taken by anyone with access through the firewall.

The unit is small and unobtrusive, with only the power and ethernet cables going through the wall, connecting the system into the booth and then to the IP network.

This is how the setup page looks, and following that is a shot of the unit itself and a version of the report it creates.

USL LSS-100 Setup Sheet


 

USL LSS-100 Network A/V Monitoring Device


 

USL LSS-100 Report Page


Another network device is the DXG – Digital eXperiance Guardian from Digital Test Tools, LLC. This new company is filled with industry veterans and this is their first product in this collaboration.

The DXG setup is more complex since both its microphone section and its colorimeter remote suspend from the ceiling. In one sense it is easier, since it uses Power Over Ethernet, which puts power, control and data on one ethernet cable.

The design uses 5 microphones to discern levels at many frequencies, as well as phase and the direction of THD problems. Pulsed sounds at various frequencies avoids the buildup problems that pink noise creates. With all this, if a new rattle or hum occurs, a technician can be sent by the NOC to look for something in a particular direction that reacts to a particular frequency, decreasing the time to find whatever got loose or was inserted into or taken from the audio system.

Like the USL system, the DXG’s value comes from giving the user “changes from a baseline” measurements. Both systems would be used after a picture and audio room tuning to establish that baseline. Since the DXG captures much more data (levels and THD at different frequecies from individual speakers, and phase information from pairs of speakers at multiple frequencies, for example) the output is put into an xml file and an SQL database so that reports can be generated. These standard tools allow the client to easily integrate the data and reports into their monitoring systems.

There is also a parameters list which the customer sets up to monitor “warning” and “critical” points that can trigger notification through Web 2.0 interfaces. And, critically, the system uses ‘percentage of variation from the baseline’ since it is easier to keep track of trends this way instead of using baseline numbers that might vary from room to room. Knowing that the data point has gone beyond a 5% threshold, for example, is easier to notice than figuring whether the new x,y matrix numbers are within MacAdam’s Just Noticable Difference oval.

In addition to the “variation from the baseline” concept the DXG colorimeter also includes a pull-down in the auditorium set-up page to mark date and serial number changes of bulbs, both for 2D==>3D changes and for EOL changes. Plus, instead of one 2 degree spot – the SMPTE/ISO spec for calibration – the DXG colorimeter measures a broad section of the screen.

The system includes audio and picture DCPs that run through the projection system. The test system and projection system run asynchronously, meaning that there is no connection or feedback to or from the system under test. A playlist is created with automation instructions to shut down the lights, put the masking in the proper position, put the sound processor at the proper level, make a warning annoucement in the room, then play the DCPs in the proper sequence. Since audio contamination from adjoining rooms would throw off the audio tests, care must be taken when setting up the daily or weekly process.

The DigitalTestTools literature states that there is plenty of space for growth with the DXG, with options for forensic marking tests and IP network tests coming in the near future, as well as an option to test the signals from the various equipment that broadcasts data and sound to personal closed caption and enhanced listening systems for the deaf, blind, hard of hearing and partially sighted patrons.

Following are some screen shots from the Digital eXperiance Guardian. There is a features movie at Digital eXperiance Guardian Movie.

Now that over 80% of North American screens have made the digital conversion with the EU and UK not far behind, it is great to see that the industry has matured to deal with this last lingering problem of screens drifting out of spec. Consumers complain about it, exhibitors have paid enormous sums to get equipment that can be impeccably tuned. Now there are two methods to montor the actual room.

Finally, it should be pointed out and noticed that your author/editor, Charles ‘C J’ Flynn of dcinematools.com is also Charles ‘C J’ Flynn, a founding partner of digitaltesttools.com – he is also a long term admirer of USL and the excellent equipment that they produce. So while this article is somewhat an infomercial, it is written as a scientist and disseminator of valuable information…and presuming that it is just a launching point for further research. C J Flynn has also been a long time advocate of Post-Installation Cinema Compliance, writing and presenting at IBC on the topic as far back as 2006 (after retiring from the labors of setting up cinema servers and training their users since before Star Wars II.


Digital eXperience Guardian – the DXG Multiroom Network Setup


 

Digital eXperience Guardian – The DXG Rear Panel showing Power Over Ethernet Interface


DXG Report – One Speaker – With Errors

Harkness At Puma

Half the light at 26 degreesFrom the press release: “…the 3D projection setup achieved the longest throw distance (using a Barco DP2K-32B projector) ever recorded at 73.6 metres (242ft) exceeding the recommended throw distance. Furthermore, the setup, which included an 18.70 x 8.45m Stagelite Stereo 3D Screen from Harkness Screens, achieved a wide-viewing angle of 60º allowing the 3D presentation to be viewed at suitable brightness levels throughout the entire seating area.”

5,920 people. 

We need to learn the lumens. We need to draw a drawing.That is a pretty wide venue. I can’t believe Viewing Angle for Stagelite Stereo–How the Light Falls Off

A shot of how wide the PULA site is

Harkness At Puma

Half the light at 26 degreesFrom the press release: “…the 3D projection setup achieved the longest throw distance (using a Barco DP2K-32B projector) ever recorded at 73.6 metres (242ft) exceeding the recommended throw distance. Furthermore, the setup, which included an 18.70 x 8.45m Stagelite Stereo 3D Screen from Harkness Screens, achieved a wide-viewing angle of 60º allowing the 3D presentation to be viewed at suitable brightness levels throughout the entire seating area.”

5,920 people. 

We need to learn the lumens. We need to draw a drawing.That is a pretty wide venue. I can’t believe Viewing Angle for Stagelite Stereo–How the Light Falls Off

A shot of how wide the PULA site is

The Death of Silver Screens~! Vive la France

The 10-years-in-the-public history of digital cinema is marked with technology sitting below the desired standard, then reaching the possibility of displaying to the standard. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) pushed hard in those early days against the typical “good enough” mentality that normally plunges a technology lower to a new normal. Engineers from the industry came together under the auspices of SMPTE and AES, and assisted by an investment from the studios themselves to form DCI, developed a set of standards that aimed to match and better the qualities of film presentation.

Over time, Texas Instruments iterated the DLP up to the now wide-spread 2K, with excellent depth in the blacks. Sony followed with a different technology that brought 4K and an internal media block. 1.3 was relegated to the scrap heaps, the once king no longer allowed. Doremi showed that JPEG-2000 could be done following the standards and MPEG followed to oblivion, along with a few companies who couldn’t make the transition.

The studios are very careful to stay clear of any monopolistic tendencies. But they have an obligation to their clients, the authors and other copyright holders and directors to make certain that the people and groups who disseminate their entertainment does so to security and quality standards.

Which brings us to High Gain Screens in general, and Silver Screens in particular. They have the ability and purpose of focusing the light from the projector to reach the audience instead of the walls and ceiling and floor. That’s a good thing. But advantages in physics have the tendency of bringing undesired attributes. High gain screens have problems with uniformity. James Gardiner points out why in this presentation on his Cine Tech Geek–3D Quality on Silver Screens.

{youtube}bTuPSw7tKSE{/youtube}

One thing that James doesn’t elaborate on is that the ‘hot spot’ and uniformity problems of a silver screen are not just on the horizontal plane, but also on the vertical. So, as pointed out in 23 degrees…half the light. 3D What?, the viewer just 3 seats from the optimum seat is getting half the light level…whether 3D or 2D! and whether you measure 3 seats left or right or 3 rows higher or lower.

Higher or lower light means different colors. When the levels go from 48 candelas per meter to 10, they really change colors. Light Levels In Cinema – From the Screens Viewpoint. The reality is that most auditoriums don’t get close to 10 candelas (about 3.5 foot Lamberts.) You do the math, your milage may vary…as might your headache.

So, just like the ASC in the early days, there was a great hue and cry in France recently. As detailed in Silver Screens – French Quality Officially Declines?, the groups responsible for ensuring that the director’s intent has a fighting chance of being transmitted to the screen, found out that the standards body – the CNC – appeared to be throwing in the towel on the problems of high gain “silver” screens merely because (your author crudely typifies) the money had been spent.

As it turns out, the tide turned against giving in to inferior presentations with a structured requirement that Silver Screens be traded out as the technology turns the corner. Since Silver Screens deteriorate faster and can’t be cleaned at all, this happens more often than one would think…or it should. (A dark screen is going to make the dark problem even worse.)

J. Sperling Reich at Celluloid Junkie tells the story well: No More Silver Screens In France

At the start of a six day conference on technology in exhibition and distribution, CNC president Eric Garandeau announced an “agreement to ensure the quality of film screenings in movie theaters in the digital age.” In his opening remarks Garandeau acknowledged all the hard work that goes into making a movie and that, “if so many people put so much care to seek perfection in the image, it is necessary that these efforts are visible and even sublimated on the screen, in the most beautiful manner.” Wanting to see the difference for himself, Garandeau held a test screening to see “if a layman could make a comparison and tell the difference between a white screen and a silver screen.”

Garandeau says he saw the bright smile of Oscar winning actor Jean Dujardin switch from white to gray during the test and that the brightness level at the edges of the screen, compared to the center, decreased significantly. Not surprising since color balance, luminance consistency, and hot spots are the major drawbacks when it comes to silver screens, especially when they are used for 2D films.

Photipic Geranium's  Going Dark It is possible that the 6 day conference that Sperling mentions was actually the 6th Annual CST JOURNÉE DES TECHNIQUES DE L’EXPLOITATION ET DE LA DISTRIBUTION mentioned at CST 6th Day of Techniques…DCinema. One could also quibble about whether the ‘industry norm’ of 4.5 ftL is a legit number, since anecdotal evidence and reports from ASC members says the number is a lot lower. Whatever the case on those two issues, Sperling tells the most important parts of the French story extremely well.

Basically, what the CNC (and AFnor-Assn. Francaise de Normalisation) are saying is that they will be enforcing the long-known standard. The argument that there are financial implications should be invalid to a standards group, especially when it causes distortions in the playing field and possibly causes harm. By the transition date of 2017, all the existing silver screens should be replaced anyway. One would certainly hope that 3D technology will progress by then also.

Logic says that the decisions of the CNC should ripple throughout the world. The coming laser technology will allow high on screen light levels, even for 3D. Barco got nearly 90 candelas per square meter…over 25 foot Lamberts on a 70+ foot (23 meter) screen. Dual projectors are generally frowned upon for other reasons, but they have been used quite well in many cinemas to present high quality 3D movies.

When it is shown that the technology can perform the standard, the industry has prohibited…nay, insisted that the standards be followed. Whether that is actually significant for RealD and MasterImage in the long run is doubtful since the real money for their stockholders is in the consumer business.

It should also be pointed out that high-gain “white” screens have many of the same problems as a silver screen; if one is sitting on the left side of an auditorium, and if the screen is displaying a white field, one will notice that the opposite side of the screen is grey. The off-center gain structure can be just as bad. Why? Because high-gain creates as many problems as they solve, and the aluminum paint of the silver screen just exacerbate them. There may not be the hot spots that partially come from an imperfect paint application of the silver screen, and the screen may not deteriorate as quickly, and the white screen may be able to be wiped clean…or even have detergents applied without ill effects…none of which can be done with silver screens…but people off center are not getting the director’s intent.

One nice effect of all this is to see that the industry can talk about these things in the open. In the past anything that could spook the business was only discussed behind closed doors among the experts.

CNC – communiqués de presse – Le CNC annonce un accord pour garantir la qualité de projections des films dans les salles de cinéma à l’ère du numérique

See also:

Silver Screens – French Quality Officially Declines?

France bids adieu to silver screens – Entertainment News, Film News, Media – Variety

Scotopic Issues with 3D, and Silver Screens

23 degrees…half the light. 3D What?

DCinema_Training & Compliance.pdf

The Death of Silver Screens~! Vive la France

The 10-years-in-the-public history of digital cinema is marked with technology sitting below the desired standard, then reaching the possibility of displaying to the standard. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) pushed hard in those early days against the typical “good enough” mentality that normally plunges a technology lower to a new normal. Engineers from the industry came together under the auspices of SMPTE and AES, and assisted by an investment from the studios themselves to form DCI, developed a set of standards that aimed to match and better the qualities of film presentation.

Over time, Texas Instruments iterated the DLP up to the now wide-spread 2K, with excellent depth in the blacks. Sony followed with a different technology that brought 4K and an internal media block. 1.3 was relegated to the scrap heaps, the once king no longer allowed. Doremi showed that JPEG-2000 could be done following the standards and MPEG followed to oblivion, along with a few companies who couldn’t make the transition.

The studios are very careful to stay clear of any monopolistic tendencies. But they have an obligation to their clients, the authors and other copyright holders and directors to make certain that the people and groups who disseminate their entertainment does so to security and quality standards.

Which brings us to High Gain Screens in general, and Silver Screens in particular. They have the ability and purpose of focusing the light from the projector to reach the audience instead of the walls and ceiling and floor. That’s a good thing. But advantages in physics have the tendency of bringing undesired attributes. High gain screens have problems with uniformity. James Gardiner points out why in this presentation on his Cine Tech Geek–3D Quality on Silver Screens.

{youtube}bTuPSw7tKSE{/youtube}

One thing that James doesn’t elaborate on is that the ‘hot spot’ and uniformity problems of a silver screen are not just on the horizontal plane, but also on the vertical. So, as pointed out in 23 degrees…half the light. 3D What?, the viewer just 3 seats from the optimum seat is getting half the light level…whether 3D or 2D! and whether you measure 3 seats left or right or 3 rows higher or lower.

Higher or lower light means different colors. When the levels go from 48 candelas per meter to 10, they really change colors. Light Levels In Cinema – From the Screens Viewpoint. The reality is that most auditoriums don’t get close to 10 candelas (about 3.5 foot Lamberts.) You do the math, your milage may vary…as might your headache.

So, just like the ASC in the early days, there was a great hue and cry in France recently. As detailed in Silver Screens – French Quality Officially Declines?, the groups responsible for ensuring that the director’s intent has a fighting chance of being transmitted to the screen, found out that the standards body – the CNC – appeared to be throwing in the towel on the problems of high gain “silver” screens merely because (your author crudely typifies) the money had been spent.

As it turns out, the tide turned against giving in to inferior presentations with a structured requirement that Silver Screens be traded out as the technology turns the corner. Since Silver Screens deteriorate faster and can’t be cleaned at all, this happens more often than one would think…or it should. (A dark screen is going to make the dark problem even worse.)

J. Sperling Reich at Celluloid Junkie tells the story well: No More Silver Screens In France

At the start of a six day conference on technology in exhibition and distribution, CNC president Eric Garandeau announced an “agreement to ensure the quality of film screenings in movie theaters in the digital age.” In his opening remarks Garandeau acknowledged all the hard work that goes into making a movie and that, “if so many people put so much care to seek perfection in the image, it is necessary that these efforts are visible and even sublimated on the screen, in the most beautiful manner.” Wanting to see the difference for himself, Garandeau held a test screening to see “if a layman could make a comparison and tell the difference between a white screen and a silver screen.”

Garandeau says he saw the bright smile of Oscar winning actor Jean Dujardin switch from white to gray during the test and that the brightness level at the edges of the screen, compared to the center, decreased significantly. Not surprising since color balance, luminance consistency, and hot spots are the major drawbacks when it comes to silver screens, especially when they are used for 2D films.

Photipic Geranium's  Going Dark It is possible that the 6 day conference that Sperling mentions was actually the 6th Annual CST JOURNÉE DES TECHNIQUES DE L’EXPLOITATION ET DE LA DISTRIBUTION mentioned at CST 6th Day of Techniques…DCinema. One could also quibble about whether the ‘industry norm’ of 4.5 ftL is a legit number, since anecdotal evidence and reports from ASC members says the number is a lot lower. Whatever the case on those two issues, Sperling tells the most important parts of the French story extremely well.

Basically, what the CNC (and AFnor-Assn. Francaise de Normalisation) are saying is that they will be enforcing the long-known standard. The argument that there are financial implications should be invalid to a standards group, especially when it causes distortions in the playing field and possibly causes harm. By the transition date of 2017, all the existing silver screens should be replaced anyway. One would certainly hope that 3D technology will progress by then also.

Logic says that the decisions of the CNC should ripple throughout the world. The coming laser technology will allow high on screen light levels, even for 3D. Barco got nearly 90 candelas per square meter…over 25 foot Lamberts on a 70+ foot (23 meter) screen. Dual projectors are generally frowned upon for other reasons, but they have been used quite well in many cinemas to present high quality 3D movies.

When it is shown that the technology can perform the standard, the industry has prohibited…nay, insisted that the standards be followed. Whether that is actually significant for RealD and MasterImage in the long run is doubtful since the real money for their stockholders is in the consumer business.

It should also be pointed out that high-gain “white” screens have many of the same problems as a silver screen; if one is sitting on the left side of an auditorium, and if the screen is displaying a white field, one will notice that the opposite side of the screen is grey. The off-center gain structure can be just as bad. Why? Because high-gain creates as many problems as they solve, and the aluminum paint of the silver screen just exacerbate them. There may not be the hot spots that partially come from an imperfect paint application of the silver screen, and the screen may not deteriorate as quickly, and the white screen may be able to be wiped clean…or even have detergents applied without ill effects…none of which can be done with silver screens…but people off center are not getting the director’s intent.

One nice effect of all this is to see that the industry can talk about these things in the open. In the past anything that could spook the business was only discussed behind closed doors among the experts.

CNC – communiqués de presse – Le CNC annonce un accord pour garantir la qualité de projections des films dans les salles de cinéma à l’ère du numérique

See also:

Silver Screens – French Quality Officially Declines?

France bids adieu to silver screens – Entertainment News, Film News, Media – Variety

Scotopic Issues with 3D, and Silver Screens

23 degrees…half the light. 3D What?

DCinema_Training & Compliance.pdf

CST 6th Day of Techniques…DCinema

The presumption is that a projector will be delivered, set-up and fit to the screen. But as the woman pointed out, more and more facilities are getting the projector dropped of, the picture is aligned to the screen and everything else is good to go…no colorimetry calibration.

She mentioned that many maintenance contracts lacked this initial colorimetry calibration. The odd part is that many of the maintenance agreements preclude engaging a 3rd party for this calibration.

The installation groups on the panel did point out that they include a yearly calibration.

[Fill in your own comments about DCI and SMPTE specs and how often light obeyed annual rules. How many bulbs are changed in that period of time? Did any of the bulbs get put in off-kilter? How often are higher rated bulbs swapped in to support 3D? Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) – DIGITAL CINEMA SYSTEM SPECIFICATION, VERSION 1.2]

Your author has been hearing this story for 5 years, at least. The first time he heard it, it really struck him as odd since all the systems that he was involved with setting up in the 2002-2006 era were all set up with an expensive spectroradiometer and a skilled operator. The digital world brings a lot of advantages, but in this area there are many things that are not objective.

Perhaps everyone is using the SMPTE DProVe system? DProVe | Digital Projector Verifier

This article is a work-in-progress since it is simple to go to a thousand tangential problem areas from these few facts. There is even talk of a breakthrough on the CNC silver screen problem.

There may be a lot of overtime for the SMPTE Police.

CST 6th Day of Techniques…DCinema

The presumption is that a projector will be delivered, set-up and fit to the screen. But as the woman pointed out, more and more facilities are getting the projector dropped of, the picture is aligned to the screen and everything else is good to go…no colorimetry calibration.

She mentioned that many maintenance contracts lacked this initial colorimetry calibration. The odd part is that many of the maintenance agreements preclude engaging a 3rd party for this calibration.

The installation groups on the panel did point out that they include a yearly calibration.

[Fill in your own comments about DCI and SMPTE specs and how often light obeyed annual rules. How many bulbs are changed in that period of time? Did any of the bulbs get put in off-kilter? How often are higher rated bulbs swapped in to support 3D? Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) – DIGITAL CINEMA SYSTEM SPECIFICATION, VERSION 1.2]

Your author has been hearing this story for 5 years, at least. The first time he heard it, it really struck him as odd since all the systems that he was involved with setting up in the 2002-2006 era were all set up with an expensive spectroradiometer and a skilled operator. The digital world brings a lot of advantages, but in this area there are many things that are not objective.

Perhaps everyone is using the SMPTE DProVe system? DProVe | Digital Projector Verifier

This article is a work-in-progress since it is simple to go to a thousand tangential problem areas from these few facts. There is even talk of a breakthrough on the CNC silver screen problem.

There may be a lot of overtime for the SMPTE Police.

CST 6th Day of Techniques…DCinema

The presumption is that a projector will be delivered, set-up and fit to the screen. But as the woman pointed out, more and more facilities are getting the projector dropped of, the picture is aligned to the screen and everything else is good to go…no colorimetry calibration.

She mentioned that many maintenance contracts lacked this initial colorimetry calibration. The odd part is that many of the maintenance agreements preclude engaging a 3rd party for this calibration.

The installation groups on the panel did point out that they include a yearly calibration.

[Fill in your own comments about DCI and SMPTE specs and how often light obeyed annual rules. How many bulbs are changed in that period of time? Did any of the bulbs get put in off-kilter? How often are higher rated bulbs swapped in to support 3D? Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) – DIGITAL CINEMA SYSTEM SPECIFICATION, VERSION 1.2]

Your author has been hearing this story for 5 years, at least. The first time he heard it, it really struck him as odd since all the systems that he was involved with setting up in the 2002-2006 era were all set up with an expensive spectroradiometer and a skilled operator. The digital world brings a lot of advantages, but in this area there are many things that are not objective.

Perhaps everyone is using the SMPTE DProVe system? DProVe | Digital Projector Verifier

This article is a work-in-progress since it is simple to go to a thousand tangential problem areas from these few facts. There is even talk of a breakthrough on the CNC silver screen problem.

There may be a lot of overtime for the SMPTE Police.

Appeals Judgement in DCN VPF…

The case is, in one sense, rather straight forward and is well described in the attached press release regarding the Federal appeals court finding. A full reading of the court document is interesting as well since it describes more of the story as the appeals judge had to review the entire proceeding in only a few pages. The case law doesn’t sound that much different than what one would expect from most ‘Western” countries. The official court link to this case can be found at:

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCAFC/2011/166.html

On the other hand, as the industry turns the corner toward full implementation of digital around the world, this still leaves a mess of a negotiation for settlement by OmniLab with digitAll [not DCN – correction from earlier draft–Ed], then a return to the table of the independent exhibitors to strike a deal with the studios still offering VPF deals. So, there is still more to the story to pay attention to.

Appeals Judgement in DCN VPF…

The case is, in one sense, rather straight forward and is well described in the attached press release regarding the Federal appeals court finding. A full reading of the court document is interesting as well since it describes more of the story as the appeals judge had to review the entire proceeding in only a few pages. The case law doesn’t sound that much different than what one would expect from most ‘Western” countries. The official court link to this case can be found at:

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCAFC/2011/166.html

On the other hand, as the industry turns the corner toward full implementation of digital around the world, this still leaves a mess of a negotiation for settlement by OmniLab with digitAll [not DCN – correction from earlier draft–Ed], then a return to the table of the independent exhibitors to strike a deal with the studios still offering VPF deals. So, there is still more to the story to pay attention to.

Why film will end by late 2013

 

Panel Participants: 
John Fithian – President & CEO, National Association of Theatre Owners
Joe Hart – Senior Vice President, Deluxe Digital Cinema 
Larry O’Reilly – Executive Vice President Theatre Development, IMAX
Joel Pearlman – Managing Director, Roadshow Films & Chairman, Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia
Allan Stiles – Managing Director, Grand Cinemas & Board Member, National Association of Cinema Operators-Australasia
Wayne Duband – former CEO, Warner Bros. International & current Independent Representative for Major Product

The site for all the posts is: CineTechGeek

Index of Posts

First Run Movies|Premium Prices|Home–Celluloid Junkie

On Tuesday, Sony’s CFO, Rob Wiesenthal, said that his company was not only looking to cable and satellite operators to provide early releases for the studio’s titles, but has high hopes for its new streaming video service, Qriocity. The service was established earlier this year to beam content directly into Sony’s consumer electronics products (televisions, video game consoles, Blu-Ray players, etc.).

Speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, Wiesenthal spoke of the “big white space” between theatrical and home video release dates for movies, stating there was “a real consumer desire for a premium offer” for such content. He did not cite any studies or reports to back up the claim that consumers were clamoring for such services.


So begins J. Sperling Reich‘s December 13, 2010 article Titled:

First Run Movies Headed Into The Home At Premium Prices

It is heavily excepted here, but the rest is very compelling.

One will also notice that Prima Cinema has job openings for Senior level software engineers. One is suspicious. 
Senior Software Engineer (Embedded Software) jobs – Dice.com
Senior Software Engineer (Web-services) jobs – Dice.com

Other articles of note about the Prima Cinema misdirection (they later announce that the news was spread too soon and incorrectly), are at:
Prima Cinema: The High End is Not Dead Yet | CEDIA Crosspoint
Prima Cinema – AVS Forum

Frankly, though Universal knows much better than I do (if, indeed they have invested in Prima), it is difficult enough to ensure piracy prevention in a ‘known friends’ circuit. I can’t imagine that this will get off the ground, at least in the way they presume currently.


In fact, it often seems that the only people making such statements publicly are the studios themselves, rather than moviegoers. This is probably because a number of studios are exploring premium video on demand models that will enable them to release movies for home viewing during their theatrical window but with significantly hire prices; around $30 per viewing.

,,,

Then on Wednesday the Wall Street Journal ran a story that got a lot of play around the Internet, if only for shock value. At the center of the piece was Prima Cinema Inc., a new company that is actively working on bringing first-run movies into living rooms through high-end home theatres. There’s just one tiny little catch; customers will have to shell out USD $20,000 for digital-delivery equipment and will be charged USD $500 per film.

It’s easy to think that a company with such pie in the sky ideas won’t get very far, but Prima has already raised USD $5 million in venture capital from the likes of Best Buy and Universal Pictures. With such a high price tag Prima’s market would seem relatively small, however the company has a target of 250,000 homes and hopes to be serving up movies by the end of next year.